Noida police on Friday took dentist Rajesh Talwar to Haridwar to look for leads into the sensational Aarushi murder case, a private news channel reported on Friday.
Dr Rajesh Talwar, Aarushi's father, is accused of killing his teenaged daughter Aarushi and his domestic help Hemraj.
Police interrogated the priest who helped the Talwars perform the puja in Haridwar after 14-year-old Aarushi's death. The priest was questioned in the presence of Dr Talwar for around 15 minutes.
Dr Talwar was sent on three-day police remand on May 27. He will be produced before a Ghaziabad court as his remand ends on Friday.
Earlier, Dr. Talwar's lawyer had filed contempt petition against police alleging that they had taken Talwar to an undisclosed location without informing his lawyers which was in violation of the court's order.
The contempt petition was filed at the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate AK Singh, claiming that police had not adhered to a direction that a lawyer should be present during the interrogation of Dr. Talwar.
The judge had asked for a lawyer's presence during the interrogation of Dr. Talwar after defence lawyers expressed apprehension that the dentist could be tortured in custody.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Bharti flies in, says brothers innocent
Nitish Katara murder accused Vikas Yadav's sister and key witness Bharti Yadav has said that her brothers are innocent. This is the first time in all these years that Bharti, who flew into the country on Wednesday night from London, has come out in the open with a comment on the case.
In an exclusive conversation with TOI from an undisclosed destination over phone, Bharti categorically said that her father D P Yadav's political rivals had hatched this conspiracy to finish his political career. "I am devastated with what is happening to my brothers. I want to make it clear to anybody, who is interested in the fact that they are innocent. I came because I wanted to be with my family during this crisis," said Bharti with a lump in her throat.
Queries about her father's allegations that certain UP politicians had colluded with Neelam Katara left her fuming. "It's obvious that she has the backing of powerful people. The way certain aspects of the case were ignored, you can make out what is happening even if you have a little bit of common sense. They don't just want to grind my father to the dust, but also eliminate the entire family. That's why my name was dragged into the case," said Bharti, adding that she was proud of her father and that he was paying a price for being a politician.
On her relations with victim Nitish Katara, Bharti said that she stood by her statement in the court last year that he was just a friend and that she had no plans to marry him. "I don't want to say the same thing again and again. At the moment I am focused only on what will happen to my brothers, who are innocent. I am praying that nothing happens to my brothers, whom I love from the core of my heart," she stated. She, however, did not say whether or not she would be present in court on Friday.
Bharti, who sounded tired and depressed, said that she would return to London in 3-4 days. "I have to go back because I am studying there. I can't describe in words how miserable I feel. My life is in tatters. I have only tried to maintain a dignified silence all this while. I always knew that my brothers were innocent," said Bharti, who has been living in London for the past 5 years. On suggestions that she might eventually join politics, she merely said that she wanted to focus only on how to help her brothers as of now.
Bharti was accompanied by her mother Urmilesh Yadav, an MLA from Bisauli in Bulandhahar, when she spoke to TOI . Urmilesh too spoke for the first time on Thursday and blamed the media for what happened to her son. "It was of course a conspiracy, involving powerful people. What has really hurt me though is the bias shown by the media. Whatever they say is taken as gospel truth and when we say something it is ignored. I am now in danger of losing my kids who are innocent," she lamented.
Vikas and his cousin Vishal Yadav were convicted in the case on Wednesday. Her father D P Yadav had told Times City on Wednesday that he got a call from his daughter, soon after the conviction, saying that her brother was innocent. As it now transpires, she took a flight to India immediately after news about the conviction broke out.
In an exclusive conversation with TOI from an undisclosed destination over phone, Bharti categorically said that her father D P Yadav's political rivals had hatched this conspiracy to finish his political career. "I am devastated with what is happening to my brothers. I want to make it clear to anybody, who is interested in the fact that they are innocent. I came because I wanted to be with my family during this crisis," said Bharti with a lump in her throat.
Queries about her father's allegations that certain UP politicians had colluded with Neelam Katara left her fuming. "It's obvious that she has the backing of powerful people. The way certain aspects of the case were ignored, you can make out what is happening even if you have a little bit of common sense. They don't just want to grind my father to the dust, but also eliminate the entire family. That's why my name was dragged into the case," said Bharti, adding that she was proud of her father and that he was paying a price for being a politician.
On her relations with victim Nitish Katara, Bharti said that she stood by her statement in the court last year that he was just a friend and that she had no plans to marry him. "I don't want to say the same thing again and again. At the moment I am focused only on what will happen to my brothers, who are innocent. I am praying that nothing happens to my brothers, whom I love from the core of my heart," she stated. She, however, did not say whether or not she would be present in court on Friday.
Bharti, who sounded tired and depressed, said that she would return to London in 3-4 days. "I have to go back because I am studying there. I can't describe in words how miserable I feel. My life is in tatters. I have only tried to maintain a dignified silence all this while. I always knew that my brothers were innocent," said Bharti, who has been living in London for the past 5 years. On suggestions that she might eventually join politics, she merely said that she wanted to focus only on how to help her brothers as of now.
Bharti was accompanied by her mother Urmilesh Yadav, an MLA from Bisauli in Bulandhahar, when she spoke to TOI . Urmilesh too spoke for the first time on Thursday and blamed the media for what happened to her son. "It was of course a conspiracy, involving powerful people. What has really hurt me though is the bias shown by the media. Whatever they say is taken as gospel truth and when we say something it is ignored. I am now in danger of losing my kids who are innocent," she lamented.
Vikas and his cousin Vishal Yadav were convicted in the case on Wednesday. Her father D P Yadav had told Times City on Wednesday that he got a call from his daughter, soon after the conviction, saying that her brother was innocent. As it now transpires, she took a flight to India immediately after news about the conviction broke out.
Katara murder case: Vikas, Vishal Yadav get lifer
A Delhi court has awarded life sentence to Vikas and Vishal Yadav, key accused in the sensational Nitish Katara murder case. ( Watch )
"I have awarded life sentence to both the convicts. This case does not deserve death penalty," Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur said.
The Judge rejected the prosecution plea for awarding death penalty to the convicts saying "This case does not fall in the rarest of rare category."
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.6 lakh each on both the convicts under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Nitish was kidnapped and murdered after he attended a wedding in Ghaziabad in 2002. His body was found in a village in Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier in the day, Special Public Prosecutor B S Joon sought death penalty on the ground that their offence fell under the rarest of rare category as they killed a defenceless person in the most diabolical manner.
"They deserved death penalty for not only the offence but for utter disregard for the human body as they while disposing of the body, chopped off the private parts of Nitish Katara," he said.
Citing various Supreme Court judgements including that of infamous Tandoor case, the prosecutor said, the pre and post-crime conduct of the convicts and the commission of this dastardly act merited the consideration of the case under the rarest of rare category, warranting award of gallows for them.
Senior defence lawyer K N Balagopal sought lenient punishment for the convicts, saying the case was based on circumstantial evidence and life imprisonment be awarded to the convicts as neither the offence was diabolical, nor the convicts were menace to the society.
"It is a regular murder committed under the emotional disturbances. Though every such offences are heinous but they all do not fall under the rarest of rare category," he said.
On Wednesday, Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur held Vikas, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav, and his cousin Vishal guilty of murder, abduction and destruction of evidence in the case.
Judge Ravinder Kaur in her judgement that ran into 1,100 pages observed: "The relationship between the two (Nitish and Bharti) was not mere friendship, it had ballooned into a love affair and showed that they wanted to marry."
In the verdict, the judge concluded: "I hold Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav guilty under Section 302, 364, 201 and 34 of the IPC."
Discuss this story with other readers. Click on 'Discuss' link at the top and bottom of the story. To know more about this feature click 'here'.
"I have awarded life sentence to both the convicts. This case does not deserve death penalty," Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur said.
The Judge rejected the prosecution plea for awarding death penalty to the convicts saying "This case does not fall in the rarest of rare category."
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.6 lakh each on both the convicts under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Nitish was kidnapped and murdered after he attended a wedding in Ghaziabad in 2002. His body was found in a village in Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier in the day, Special Public Prosecutor B S Joon sought death penalty on the ground that their offence fell under the rarest of rare category as they killed a defenceless person in the most diabolical manner.
"They deserved death penalty for not only the offence but for utter disregard for the human body as they while disposing of the body, chopped off the private parts of Nitish Katara," he said.
Citing various Supreme Court judgements including that of infamous Tandoor case, the prosecutor said, the pre and post-crime conduct of the convicts and the commission of this dastardly act merited the consideration of the case under the rarest of rare category, warranting award of gallows for them.
Senior defence lawyer K N Balagopal sought lenient punishment for the convicts, saying the case was based on circumstantial evidence and life imprisonment be awarded to the convicts as neither the offence was diabolical, nor the convicts were menace to the society.
"It is a regular murder committed under the emotional disturbances. Though every such offences are heinous but they all do not fall under the rarest of rare category," he said.
On Wednesday, Additional Sessions Judge Ravinder Kaur held Vikas, son of Uttar Pradesh politician D P Yadav, and his cousin Vishal guilty of murder, abduction and destruction of evidence in the case.
Judge Ravinder Kaur in her judgement that ran into 1,100 pages observed: "The relationship between the two (Nitish and Bharti) was not mere friendship, it had ballooned into a love affair and showed that they wanted to marry."
In the verdict, the judge concluded: "I hold Vikas Yadav and Vishal Yadav guilty under Section 302, 364, 201 and 34 of the IPC."
Discuss this story with other readers. Click on 'Discuss' link at the top and bottom of the story. To know more about this feature click 'here'.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Aetna chief downplays Google Health's potential
A top medical insurance executive on Wednesday downplayed the potential impact of services from Microsoft and Google that are aimed at helping users store and share their health records with providers.
Google Health went into beta on Monday. It follows the launch of similar efforts, such as Microsoft's Health Vault.
"I think anything we can do to kill the paper is good, and having health data stored in central places is helpful as long as we have good security and standards," said Ronald Williams, CEO of Aetna, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's CIO Symposium.
But software companies don't have an "interest in improving the system or looking for gaps in care," he said. "When the data goes there, it is really static and stored."
Williams argued that those efforts cannot compare to Aetna's in-house customer records portal, the CareEngine System, which launched in 2006.
He called the system Aetna's "secret sauce." It compiles member data from sources such as medical, pharmacy and lab claims, then compares it against a database of medical literature and research in an attempt to spot potential problems and need for additional care. The system generates alerts to patients and physicians regarding such findings.
Privacy concerns have been raised about Google Health because the company plans to link it with some of its other services. Google will keep individual health records private but may release "anonymous, aggregated" data, according to a spokeswoman.
Aetna conducts broad analysis of its customer data, such as tracking the way various conditions are being treated in geographic conditions, but "is not looking to use it in a commercial way," Williams said.
The Hartford, Conn. company had revenue of $27 billion in 2007 and serves more than 17 million medical plan members, according to its Web site.
A Google spokesperson responded to Williams' contention in a statement.
"We've always been strong supporters of competition, and we believe that any effort to help make health information more organized, accessible and useful is a good thing -- regardless of who's doing it," the statement said, in part. "This is the first version of Google Health, and it's only the beginning."
The service also includes APIs (application programming interfaces) with which developers can create additional online services, such as personalized news feeds, and plug them into Google Health, the statement said.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Google Health went into beta on Monday. It follows the launch of similar efforts, such as Microsoft's Health Vault.
"I think anything we can do to kill the paper is good, and having health data stored in central places is helpful as long as we have good security and standards," said Ronald Williams, CEO of Aetna, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's CIO Symposium.
But software companies don't have an "interest in improving the system or looking for gaps in care," he said. "When the data goes there, it is really static and stored."
Williams argued that those efforts cannot compare to Aetna's in-house customer records portal, the CareEngine System, which launched in 2006.
He called the system Aetna's "secret sauce." It compiles member data from sources such as medical, pharmacy and lab claims, then compares it against a database of medical literature and research in an attempt to spot potential problems and need for additional care. The system generates alerts to patients and physicians regarding such findings.
Privacy concerns have been raised about Google Health because the company plans to link it with some of its other services. Google will keep individual health records private but may release "anonymous, aggregated" data, according to a spokeswoman.
Aetna conducts broad analysis of its customer data, such as tracking the way various conditions are being treated in geographic conditions, but "is not looking to use it in a commercial way," Williams said.
The Hartford, Conn. company had revenue of $27 billion in 2007 and serves more than 17 million medical plan members, according to its Web site.
A Google spokesperson responded to Williams' contention in a statement.
"We've always been strong supporters of competition, and we believe that any effort to help make health information more organized, accessible and useful is a good thing -- regardless of who's doing it," the statement said, in part. "This is the first version of Google Health, and it's only the beginning."
The service also includes APIs (application programming interfaces) with which developers can create additional online services, such as personalized news feeds, and plug them into Google Health, the statement said.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Google says Viacom's YouTube lawsuit threatens exchange of info on the Net
Viacom International Inc.'s $1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube LLC and its parent company, Google Inc., threatens the way that hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange various kinds of content via the Internet, Google contended in an answer to an amended version of the complaint filed by Viacom last month.
In court papers filed last Friday in U.S. District Court in New York, Google said that YouTube does more than it is required to do by federal law to help content owners protect their works. And Google claimed that by seeking through the lawsuit to make network carriers and hosting providers liable for Internet communications, Viacom is putting at risk the ability of online users to share "information, news, entertainment, and political and artistic expression."
Google, which was sued by Viacom in March 2007, made similar arguments against the lawsuit in an initial response filed last spring.
Viacom declined to comment on Google's latest response. The entertainment company claims that YouTube and Google are infringing on its copyrights because nearly 160,000 Viacom-owned video clips have been made available for viewing on YouTube without authorization.
Google, which acquired YouTube in late 2006, said in its filing that the video-sharing Web site has adhered to the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA provides a framework for regulating copyrights in the world of electronic content. It gives copyright holders procedures to follow to protect their content when alleged violations occur, and it offers protections to Web-based businesses and Internet users to cover unintentional posting of copyrighted materials.
According to Google's filing, YouTube has responded to infringement complaints by content owners as required by the DMCA. YouTube "fulfills its end of the DMCA bargain, and indeed goes far beyond its legal obligations in assisting content owners to protect their works," Google said.
In its amended complaint, which requests a jury trial, Viacom said that while YouTube claims to be a forum for users to share their own original videos, a vast amount of the content posted on the site consists of "infringing copies" of Viacom's copyrighted works. That includes material from popular TV shows and movies such as SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park, An Inconvenient Truth, Mean Girls and many more.
"Unauthorized copies of these and other copyrighted works are posted daily on YouTube, and each is viewed tens of thousands of times," Viacom asserted in the amended complaint. It said that Google and YouTube have done almost nothing to stop the alleged copyright infringement, and have actually helped promote infringement by YouTube users.
"Defendants actively engage in, promote and induce this infringement," Viacom wrote, adding that YouTube "knowingly reproduces, distributes, publicly performs and publicly displays the copyrighted works uploaded to its site."
A federal judge ruled in March that Viacom couldn't add a request for punitive damages to the lawsuit, saying that such damages can't be collected under copyright laws.
In court papers filed last Friday in U.S. District Court in New York, Google said that YouTube does more than it is required to do by federal law to help content owners protect their works. And Google claimed that by seeking through the lawsuit to make network carriers and hosting providers liable for Internet communications, Viacom is putting at risk the ability of online users to share "information, news, entertainment, and political and artistic expression."
Google, which was sued by Viacom in March 2007, made similar arguments against the lawsuit in an initial response filed last spring.
Viacom declined to comment on Google's latest response. The entertainment company claims that YouTube and Google are infringing on its copyrights because nearly 160,000 Viacom-owned video clips have been made available for viewing on YouTube without authorization.
Google, which acquired YouTube in late 2006, said in its filing that the video-sharing Web site has adhered to the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA provides a framework for regulating copyrights in the world of electronic content. It gives copyright holders procedures to follow to protect their content when alleged violations occur, and it offers protections to Web-based businesses and Internet users to cover unintentional posting of copyrighted materials.
According to Google's filing, YouTube has responded to infringement complaints by content owners as required by the DMCA. YouTube "fulfills its end of the DMCA bargain, and indeed goes far beyond its legal obligations in assisting content owners to protect their works," Google said.
In its amended complaint, which requests a jury trial, Viacom said that while YouTube claims to be a forum for users to share their own original videos, a vast amount of the content posted on the site consists of "infringing copies" of Viacom's copyrighted works. That includes material from popular TV shows and movies such as SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park, An Inconvenient Truth, Mean Girls and many more.
"Unauthorized copies of these and other copyrighted works are posted daily on YouTube, and each is viewed tens of thousands of times," Viacom asserted in the amended complaint. It said that Google and YouTube have done almost nothing to stop the alleged copyright infringement, and have actually helped promote infringement by YouTube users.
"Defendants actively engage in, promote and induce this infringement," Viacom wrote, adding that YouTube "knowingly reproduces, distributes, publicly performs and publicly displays the copyrighted works uploaded to its site."
A federal judge ruled in March that Viacom couldn't add a request for punitive damages to the lawsuit, saying that such damages can't be collected under copyright laws.
Oil prices tumble from record highs
Oil prices tumbled further from recent record peaks as traders sold off positions amid growing fears about US energy demand.
Analysts said a report showing a slump in US consumer confidence, marking the largest such fall in 16 years, and a separate survey showing the housing market remains in a rut triggered fresh concerns that the US economy will slow markedly.
If US economic growth slows further it could be expected to weaken energy demand, particularly oil demand, according to analysts.
New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, dived $3.34 to close at $128.85 a barrel as demand concerns spiked.
Prices in London fell more sharply as a key futures contract, Brent North Sea crude for July, settled $4.06 lower at $128.31.
The price falls came after Brent had struck an all-time high of $135.14 and New York crude reached a record $135.09 on Thursday amid concerns about tight supplies and strong demand.
Analysts said a report showing a slump in US consumer confidence, marking the largest such fall in 16 years, and a separate survey showing the housing market remains in a rut triggered fresh concerns that the US economy will slow markedly.
If US economic growth slows further it could be expected to weaken energy demand, particularly oil demand, according to analysts.
New York's main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for July delivery, dived $3.34 to close at $128.85 a barrel as demand concerns spiked.
Prices in London fell more sharply as a key futures contract, Brent North Sea crude for July, settled $4.06 lower at $128.31.
The price falls came after Brent had struck an all-time high of $135.14 and New York crude reached a record $135.09 on Thursday amid concerns about tight supplies and strong demand.
Decision on fuel price hike by Saturday
A hike in petrol and diesel prices looks imminent by the weekend after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday finalised details of a package to bail out state-run oil firms reeling under high international oil prices.
Singh discussed with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia the scenario emerging from doubling of crude prices since the last price hike in February.
"We discussed the various options and hopefully, by tomorrow or by day after Friday, we will have a solution," Deora told reporters after the 75-minute long meeting.
Though Deora refused to say what the expected decision would be, official sources said a hike in petrol and diesel prices along with a minor duty rejig and oil bonds for fuel retailers would form part of the package that would be placed before the Cabinet for approval.
The package, they said, would be a climb down from the Rs 10 a litre hike in petrol, Rs 5 per litre in diesel and Rs 50 per cylinder increase in LPG prices demanded by the Petroleum Ministry, along with cut in customs duty on crude oil and slashing excise duty on fuel.
"International prices touching $135 a barrel has forced down our throat Rs 225,000 crore revenue loss (on sale of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene). Unless we act, companies will not be left with cash to import crude," Deora said.
"The Prime Minister and Finance Minister saw papers (of projected revenue loss and options thereof). They realise very much that we need to help (PSU oil firms) on a war-footing," Deora said.
Singh discussed with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia the scenario emerging from doubling of crude prices since the last price hike in February.
"We discussed the various options and hopefully, by tomorrow or by day after Friday, we will have a solution," Deora told reporters after the 75-minute long meeting.
Though Deora refused to say what the expected decision would be, official sources said a hike in petrol and diesel prices along with a minor duty rejig and oil bonds for fuel retailers would form part of the package that would be placed before the Cabinet for approval.
The package, they said, would be a climb down from the Rs 10 a litre hike in petrol, Rs 5 per litre in diesel and Rs 50 per cylinder increase in LPG prices demanded by the Petroleum Ministry, along with cut in customs duty on crude oil and slashing excise duty on fuel.
"International prices touching $135 a barrel has forced down our throat Rs 225,000 crore revenue loss (on sale of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene). Unless we act, companies will not be left with cash to import crude," Deora said.
"The Prime Minister and Finance Minister saw papers (of projected revenue loss and options thereof). They realise very much that we need to help (PSU oil firms) on a war-footing," Deora said.
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